In Absence of the Christmas Spirit
by December's Eve
Summary: ABANDONED. When Rory goes on the television programme to remind people of what Christmas is all about, it has a profound effect on Sebastian Smythe of all people. And this sets forth the most unlikely bond. Slightly AU-ish.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I am not a writer for Glee. I don't own anything; except for the way these words are strung together in an attempt to sound good. If I were a writer for Glee, I would have made Damian and Grant regulars by now.

* * *

><p>'Twas the Night before Christmas and all around Dalton, not a creature was stirring—with Sebastian, the exception. No stockings were hung along the chimney and were there any, the chances of them being hung with care were slim to none. Illusions of St. Nicholas's company had long since shattered and the night had only begun.<p>

Generally speaking, the boarding school was completely shut down for the two-week period after finals but arrangements had been made that led to the Warbler being nestled in the bed in his dorm. The visions dancing in Sebastian's head were not of sugar plums, but of his friends (or as close to them he had) performing a song and dance number in real time on the television. It was only because of a text message from Nick telling him that Blaine would be doing a program for some local station that he was tuned in.

He didn't know what was more depressing: The fact that he passed up invitations to several Christmas parties to stay in and watch what was virtually a black and white old Hollywood-style Christmas special filled with 'egg nog' jokes and subpar duets sung by subpar singers, or the best Christmas party he'd turned down took place at _Scandals. _Either way, this already depressing time of year seemed to be taking a turn for the worst every passing moment he wasted his time on this horrible excuse for a program filled with holiday cheer.

Just when he'd had enough of the Gnome's irritating, high-pitched voice and the sudden urge to grab his coat so that he could at least salvage his evening to try some red and green Jell-O shots at Scandals (and maybe a taste of 'egg nog' if he was lucky), the sound of bells ringing caught his attention.

"Oh my goodness, could it be? Could it be?" Sebastian rolled his eyes at the fake, syrupy sounding gasp that escaped the overly large mouth of one Rachel Berry. Then came the loud, tinny sound of the entire group gleefully calling out, "Itchy the Holiday Elf!"

That was when the tallest, most-ridiculous looking creature wearing a pair of striped stockings with an equally ridiculous cap to match came heralding into the room. Sebastian basically tuned the Gnome out as he introduced whatever segment Itchy the Holiday Elf was going to perform and headed toward the bathroom when a very thick, very distinct Irish accent came booming out of the speakers of the television.

"Actually, I was goin' to do that but I searched heart and I'm goin' to read from a different book," said Itchy the Holiday Elf. "And I think it's goin' to remind people what the true spirit of Christmas is."

This right here made Sebastian stop in his tracks, though it wasn't quite enough to make him want to come back to watch the program just yet.

"Are you sure you don't want to read Frosty?" Berry asked, a panicked look sweeping over her too-dolled up face. Behind her, Blaine and the Gnome nodded in agreement and it was in that moment Sebastian was suddenly overcome by the urge to reach through the screen and shut all three of them up. "We all _really_ want to hear Frosty."

Thankfully Itchy did not relent. "Lights please." And as the lights dimmed all around them, Sebastian found himself stepping away from the bathroom and back toward the bed. He could already see where this was headed and he couldn't help but wonder why the station hadn't cut to commercial break yet. "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night."

_Because the holidays aren't religious enough as is, _the more aggressive part of Sebastian's mind automatically spat back. _You aren't proving anything._

But Itchy, of course, heard none of this, and even if he did, that might not have stopped him. "And, see, the angel of the Lord came on them and the glory of the Lord shone 'round about them: and they were sore afraid."

Wasn't this supposed to be public television? And wasn't there some kind of rule set against this? Sebastian had been under the impression that this Christmas holiday special was more of a secular one. If Itchy wanted something religious, he could wait until after hours, when the televangelists came to preach the Message of God and to put the 'Christ' back in Christmas. Then again, he was in Westerville, Ohio of all places. Not quite in the Bible belt of America but the general area made it feel like that sometimes.

"And the angel said to them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

Sebastian was surprised when he felt his breath hitch in his throat. Damn it. This guy was sincere. And, as Itchy continued, he felt something he ignored for such a long time break in his chest.

"And this shall be a sign to you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." Itchy was seated now. The love he held for the words he spoke carried through in his voice, whispered almost like a prayer. The book in his hand was cradled oh so carefully, like the baby in a manger he spoke of.

Sebastian's eyes fluttered shut. It was the only way he could think of to prevent the tears that formed behind his eyes to stop from falling, because, damn it, he wasn't going to cry. Not now. Not over some stupid fucking Christmas program. Not over stuff he'd been forced to get over so many years ago. And most certainly _not _over the memories this fucking Itchy bloke brought up. No way. Just no fucking way.

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

With that, Itchy closed his pocket-sized Bible and held it close to his chest. The camera panned away from him and the rest of the members of the otherwise disastrous Christmas special to a more picturesque view of the fireplace and the snow-laden window, thus, concluding the program.

Sebastian stared at the television screen for an immeasurable period of time, eyes not quite focusing on the names as the credits rolled. Try as he might, he could neither get the sound of Itchy's voice out of his head nor could he quite suppress the memories that now flooded his mind; memories of Christmas past; before Dalton, before Paris, before the Smythe family business took off, and before he even knew that some people spent the holiday alone. And it was when Itchy's voice slowly faded away, morphing into that of a loved one who long since passed that would read the very same verse.

It was then Sebastian knew that it was _definitely _time to head to Scandals to forget all of this. But even as he slipped on his coat, even as he trudged out into the cold, the wind whipping against his face, his half frozen fingers trembling as he attempted to unlock his car, he could not push any of this to the back of his mind. And this was why before he threw himself into a haze of tinsel, flashing multi-colored lights, gyrating along to the world's most inappropriate version of 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain' with a Mrs. Claus wearing zebra-printed tights, Sebastian finally allowed himself to rest his head against the dashboard and break down for the first time in over three years.

Merry fucking Christmas indeed.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I _really _hope the religious tones in the prologue (if this turns out to be longer than a one shot) didn't turn you off. I won't make this story super preachy, even though it might come off as such. I simply used that scene from the Christmas episode to set off some action and sort of foreshadow events to come if I don't end up abandoning this project.

Anyhow, if you liked it, review! I'll try to get around to writing/posting the second chapter when I have spare time. Also, if anyone can help me come up with a better title, this would be much appreciated. As it is, this is only a tentative title since I can't think of anything better.

Happy Holidays.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own any of this stuff…only the way in which these words are strung together.

* * *

><p>Every Sunday without fail, since arriving in Lima, Rory Flanagan took the local bus so that he could arrive at the Ministry of New Beginnings chapel around approximately 7:30 in the morning. This habit, among many others, was one of the many reasons Rory was something of an enigma to his host family. For starters, the Pierce's weren't religious in any sense of the word (they jokingly referred to themselves as Christmas-and-Easter-Christians), and even if they were, they certainly wouldn't have thought to arrive an hour before service.<p>

However, Mr. Piece offered many a time to give up on his sleepy starts so he could indulge on his host son's penchant for arriving right at what he called "the crack of dawn". Never wanting to be more of a burden than he already felt he was being, Rory always turned those offers down. "I like the alone time," he explained to him this last time, "it's not that I'm not thankful for your offers, 'cause I am, but the time spent reflectin' in solitude before I go to church is good for me." He allowed himself a smile. "Besides, last time I talked with the Lord, he told me to let ya get your sleep, and I'll be damned if I don't listen to him."

So here he was now, stepping off of the curb where the 67 Bus let off, into the parking lot of the church he'd come to love over his past three months spent in America.

True to his word, Rory had used this morning's alone time to reflect on his relationship with the Lord and to say the first of his morning prayers. Last night especially gave him a lot to think about. The Christmas Special with the Glee club, standing by his convictions and reminding everyone what (to him) what Christmas was really about, helping out those less fortunate than himself. All of it made Rory grateful for being able to be where he was at now.

Sure, he might have had a rough start when he first transferred to the States but things were starting to look up now. He finally had the support and backup of a group of like-minded individuals who shared the same passion of music as he did. While he occasionally dealt with a bully from the hockey team, things weren't as bad with friends like Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman as backup. Even when things _weren't _going his way, Rory knew that everything would pick up eventually; he had the support of the church to back him up along the entire way. And though he'd only known everyone a brief amount of time, he could honestly say they felt like family—

That was when Rory noticed a car he didn't recognize parked in front of the main chapel. Ordinarily, Rory would have ignored it and carried on with his morning; the church had a steady number of regulars and newcomers pass through like the ebb and flow of the ocean. What made thiscar stand out from the others was its make and body shape: it was definitely an older model; it lacked the smooth lines and curves that was commonplace amongst the other vehicles.

The other thing that Rory noticed was how beautiful it was; even someone with as little interest in cars could see this. Maybe it was because of Seamus and his inexplicable obsession with BBC's _Top Gear_, but Rory couldn't help thinking that this particular car looked especially stunning and powerful against the powdery backdrop of this very white Christmas. A finely crafted piece of obsidian that made a chariot built on raw power—he'd _definitely _seen one too many episodes of _Top Gear_.

With that thought in mind, Rory pulled his phone out of his pocket, intending to snap a photo of said car for his younger brother.

What Rory didn't expect was the string of cussing that followed the flash from his camera. Rory jumped back some and let out a surprised squeak as a figure seemed to rise seemingly out of nowhere from the driver's seat. The windows were slightly rolled down, and even though most of the ranting was incomprehensible, Rory could have sworn the person behind the wheel told him to "crawl outta his ass".

Once he got over his initial shock from being yelled at by a complete stranger, Rory stepped back some and uttered a bewildered, "I'm sorry?"

That was when the door swung open and the hottest person in human history stepped (more like 'staggered') out. It was really unfair, all things considered, since the car this guy stepped out of looked to be in better condition than the person who owned it.

Rory would have spent more time raking his eyes over this guy's appearance, which was more than a little mussed up at present, but he heard a voice ask, "Itchy?" It took him a moment to realize that _he _was the Itchy to whom this beautiful stranger was referring to and it wasn't just a coincidence. "Is that you? You made me want to see Jesus today."

Rory, understandably, did not know how to respond to such an _unusual _greeting. Rather than say something that might set off this obviously hungover person, he nodded in answer to his question. Then he did a mental backtrack to what this guy just told him. Did this guy actually say that he made him want to see Jesus? Before Rory had the chance to ponder this thought any further, the guy suddenly stumbled forward, nearly falling to the ground were it not for Rory reaching out to catch him in time.

"Thanks for that, Itchy," muttered the guy, a hint of irritation still in his voice. Were _all _drunks this cranky? "But, you know, I'm on Santa's Naughty List, so I don't know why you even bothered. I could have handled that on my own."

"I'm not _really_ an elf, I hope ya know that." In spite of the guy's last statement, he still held onto Rory's wrists as if his life depended on it. If Rory were a less patient person, he might have pointed this out but as it was, it looked like this guy was having a hard enough time, and he really didn't want to add onto whatever troubles he was currently facing. After making sure he was steady, Rory let go of him and stepped back some. "For future references, my name is Rory Flanagan, and if ya call me Itchy again, then I shall be extremely annoyed."

While Rory said all of this, the guy appeared to be fixing his disheveled (yet unfairly attractive) appearance in the side view mirror. Rory wanted to tell him that it was rude to do that when another person was speaking but was spared the task of doing so when he turned around to face him.

"You're in the New Directions." It wasn't a question. "You know, I don't remember Blaine ever brought you up in any of our online conversations." The corners of his lips twitched upward. "Then again, maybe he wanted to keep you to himself. Cute guy like you, I don't blame him from keeping you a secret—especially when he's got the gnome as his make out partner." He let out a long suffering sigh, which caused Rory to wonder how exactly this guy knew Blaine. It was a much better alternative than for Rory to attempt to even think about that other thing he said.

After what felt like an eternity, the guy finally remembered his manners. He stuck out his hand and said, "Sebastian Smythe, and might I say what an absolute _pleasure _it is to meet you?"

It took superhuman strength for Rory to accept Sebastian's hand without blushing and an even greater amount of strength for him to utter the words, "Pleased to meet ya too."

With those pleasantries out of the way, Rory found there was very little he had to say to his new acquaintance and vice versa. This time it was Rory's turn to sigh. Even back in Ireland, Rory wasn't the most sociable person at school; he had his own group of friends, most of who he was able to fall back on in situations like these. While he'd come to terms with the fact that he was no longer in Derry a long time ago, it wasn't until now that he officially decided to actually do something about his somewhat awkward behavior.

A littlesmall talk never hurt anyone, right?

"So, what brings ya here anyhow?" That seemed like a safe place to start.

Sebastian quirked one brow above the other in response to his question, and, without a hint of irony, he answered, "I came to see Jesus. I already told you this."

"Oh." Rory blinked. "Well, me too."

"Obviously."

Going by the tone of Sebastian's voice, Rory wondered if he was wrong in his assumption about small talk. At least as far as this guy was concerned. Other than that brief moment where he appeared to be hitting on him, Rory's overall first impression of Sebastian was that of someone he did not want to attempt to hone his less-than-stellar conversational skills on.

"Well, I think I'm goin' to head inside," Rory said, turning on his heel. He figured he was doing the both of them a favor by cutting things short. "I guess I'll see ya around?"

"Whatever. Yeah, just go."

Rory caught another glimpse at Sebastian, who now rested his head on the hood of his car. He looked as though he was either ready to fall asleep right on the spot or (as his skin now sported a puce undertone) puke right on the spot. A stab of guilt plucked at Rory's conscience, and much as he didn't want to, something about getting into the Christmas spirit compelled him to stop right in his tracks and ask, "Did you want to come inside with me?" He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "They're servin' breakfast at the cafeteria, and, no offense mate, but you really look like you could use somethin' to put ya back together."

Another moment of silence. This time when Sebastian looked at him, Rory couldn't shake the feeling that he was being tested one way or another.

_Did I do something wrong? _Right as Rory was about to retract his invitation, Sebastian suddenly broke out into a smile that surely outshone the Star of Bethlehem (was that a blasphemous thought?), and nodded enthusiastically. "I'd love to," he said.

Whatever test that had taken place, Rory obviously passed it. He finally exhaled on a breath he didn't even realize he was holding until now. The sudden shift in Sebastian's attitude was surprising, to say the least, but Rory wasn't going to complain. For all he knew, this guy could have been having the worst holiday ever and he needed this little pick-me-up to get himself back on his feet; the smile on his face more than made up for his earlier rudeness.

"Well, come along then." Rory looked over his shoulder over to Sebastian, who finally picked himself off his car. He waited a moment while the other boy pulled out his keys to lock up before leading him in through the main chapel.

Understandably, the chapel was empty, with the exception of an usher who smiled when he saw Rory and nodded his head in acknowledgement when he saw Sebastian. Although he paused for a moment when he saw the latter, he bit back on whatever comments he had in mind and wished both boys a Merry Christmas. This was probably a good idea, because even though he just met the guy, Rory didn't really view Sebastian as the sort of person who would let any snide remark slip past him without a fight. In any case, nothing bad happened; they both said Merry Christmas back, and they wove in and out of the narrow aisles generally in silence except to comment on the red and green tinsel that lined the walls in an attempt to make the place look more festive.

They exited the chapel and made their way down the halls, rounded a corner, and ascended a small flight of stairs. They reached the top of the stairs where it led to another hallway, which on one end led to various entrances to the balcony part of the building where the sermon took place (as opposed to the chapel, where there was a big screen TV projection) and on the other, which led to various rooms, one of which was the 'cafeteria' where the smell of coffee, sausages, and cinnamon rolls wafted through the air. The distinct sound of two stomachs rumbling answered in response to this new sensation.

"So, Sebastian," Rory decided to try again, not allowing either of them to go any further despite his growing hunger. "I've never really seen ya around here, and ya don't really strike me as the sort to just pop in and out of church as ya please—"

"Isn't there something in the Bible against judging other people?" Sebastian cut in, but there wasn't a hint of meanness in his voice. In fact, that same smile he wore earlier had made its way on his face again. Rory privately thought that he looked much better this way.

Not that he let on, because he simply continued as though the other hadn't spoken in the first place. "—so, are ya actually going to tell me what brings ya over here?"

Sebastian, despite his considerably lighter mood, shot him an annoyed look, "I already told you, I came here to see Jesus." Then, before Rory could stop him, Sebastian suddenly grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him in the direction of the smell. "Now, come on. If we don't eat soon, Baby Jesus and the Three Wise Men will have a fit."

Well, if nothing else, today's Christmas sermon with this new companion would be interesting.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I am so sorry this is so late! I really have no excuse other than laziness and…yeah. More laziness. I hope this chapter will at least make up for it, even if the quality varies. It's 2 am and I'm beat.

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and a good New Year.

I guess our boys are in a time loop.

Who cares? The world needs more Rorbastian.

Anyhow, thank you for the reviews thus far. I love you all!

One more note: On the distance between Westerville and Lima, I know it's a 2 hour drive but the writers of the show don't act like there is. So I'm not either. My logic is great.


End file.
